After her reality TV debut on Bravo’s Most Eligible: Dallas in 2011, Kerr attracted a following. Her style blog, What Courtney Wore, boasts about 500,000 readers a month and her Instagram account has more than 52,000 followers. Plus she can still be found most mornings on KTXD’s The Broadcast (a show with which D Magazine was previously affiliated.)

Bravo producers must have figured they had a captivating new TV personality in the making, so six months after ME:D ended, they offered Kerr her own show.

Mostly filmed last year, Courtney Loves Dallas, finally makes its premiere tonight, Dec. 5, at 9 p.m. Central time. To tide you over, I picked up the phone to chat with (full disclosure) my friend Courtney Kerr about dealing with haters, life on camera, and making her second debut on a TV series even though she doesn’t own a television set.

Raya: It’s funny that you don’t have a TV, but you’re going to be on it. Again.

Courtney: I haven’t had one in seven years and, ironically, I haven’t missed it. Anything you want to watch you can watch on the Internet.

How did you feel when you were approached with this second opportunity with Bravo?

It was funny, Raya, because that happened six months after Most Eligible ended, and I had gone back to work and started the blog. So I was staying busy going back to the normal shopgirl grind. I happened to get a random phone call out of the blue on a Wednesday afternoon—I will never forget it—from the production company, and they had the director of development from Bravo on the phone and said, “Here’s what we want to do.” I couldn’t believe that a network found me interesting enough to carry a show.

Being on TV turns you from being a person into being a character. What kind of character do you think people thought you were on ME:D, and what kind of character do you think they will see you as now?

I can tell you 100 percent on ME:D, people saw me as this entitled, snarky, bitchy girl who was super-vain, super-obsessed with herself, super-obsessed with her best friend, who picks on other girls, and who is really honest. I think some of those things are true about myself [laughs] and you’ll see an extension of some of those things, but on Courtney Loves Dallas, you’ll see why I react to things the way I do. We didn’t get into character development on ME:D.

I think in this show they’re going to say, “Wow, Courtney has really strong work ethic.” “Wow, Courtney’s friendships are really, really important to her.” “Wow, Courtney is someone, that yeah, is honest and speaks her mind and she’s pretty blunt,” but once they see the way I was raised and see my relationship with my mother and they understand that, they’ll understand why I am the way I am.

Do you ever stop and feel blown away by the fact that people are kind of obsessed with you?

[Laughs.] There are days that it’s weird, but I try not to get wrapped up in it. Trust me, for every 10 people that love you, there’s one person that really, really hates you. But I like to think that haters are just admirers who are just confused or jealous.

But I’m going on TV to talk about things that are relatable. I’m going on TV and talking about the struggles I have with dating. I’m going on TV and talking about quitting my job at 30 and going on out on a limb and starting a blog. I’m going on TV and talking about the struggles that I have with my girlfriends–some of them are married, some of them have kids, and me still feeling very, you know, not having that place yet. I’m going on TV and talking about my mom’s health scares. I’m going on TV talking about my father leaving my family at the age of 25.

Any part you’re not looking forward to watching or reliving?

Sometimes that you forget that the cameras are there and then you just say cuss words and you say, “Darn it, my mom’s going to have to hear that.” I think probably getting bleeped and that face that my mom is going to give me when I get bleeped is probably my biggest fear. I can already see her looking at me, like, [in a Southern drawl] “Courtney Ann.”

We’ve talked about this before, but tell me about the filming process. Do you have any personal space?

You wake up, they’re there; you go to bed, they’re there. You plan your days with a producer and a production team and a 17-person crew in mind. There’s not a lot of free time, but you didn’t sign up for free time. You signed up to live your life and let people document it. And that means having uncomfortable conversations with the camera rolling. You can’t try to hide elements of your life on TV. You can’t be fake when you have cameras on.

Did anyone in your life get weird or uncomfortable with the cameras rolling?

Not really. I tell people you get used to it quickly. In about 15 minutes, you’ll be fine. When people say, “Oh I could never do that [live their lives on a reality show],” I’m like, you’re really not doing anything. It’s just that you’re sitting at a dinner table that has four cameras surrounding you.

Let’s talk Matt Nordgren. I know you, so I know the current status of that ordeal, but it’s what viewers will remember the most.

Yeah. The last thing they remember is me and Matt crawling into the hot tub. On Courtney Loves Dallas we kind of pick up a year later, and I have to catch everyone up on how the relationship has not progressed. So I think people will be surprised to find out about our relationship that we don’t have one now. We’re going to tie a bow on that. I think everyone will be surprised on how that shakes down.

I have a feeling they’re not going to be Team Matt after they watch.

If they are, then they’re watching the wrong show. Matt has made the decisions that Matt has made, and he’s standing by them and unfortunately, we had to have some really awkward conversations on camera. I can’t necessarily say that he’s going to be happy about the way that he’s portrayed. Sometimes it takes a camera in your face for your real colors to come out.

Anything else that’s going to shock people’s pants off this season?

I think people will be surprised to see how emotional I can get. I’m not as tough as I come off as. I describe myself as a Georgia peach; I’m sweet on the outside, but I’ve got a really tough pit. But a lot of people see it vice versa. I’m actually like an egg; I have a really hard shell, but on the inside, I’m an ooey, gooey mess.

And I think people will be shocked to see what they think they know about me from Most Eligible, I think they’re going to be surprised once they get to know me better.

I still get hate mail with people saying, “you’re so full of yourself” and “you think you’re prettier than you are.” But I don’t think any of that. I am who I am. I own up to every flaw that I have.

Have you ever sat down and just cried because someone was so mean?

Oh, completely. It happens a lot. But at the end of the day, there’s no way to cope with it or deal with it. I just understand that that’s part of the territory, and that’s part of what you sign up for, and that’s part of success or notoriety or whatever you want to call it. But does it hurt? Yeah, it hurts.

How do you think that being on Bravo has changed you?

I don’t think I have changed. I think that my life has changed. My morals haven’t changed, my values haven’t changed, my character hasn’t changed. My flaws have stayed the same and, actually, some magnified, but I don’t think I, as a person, have changed.

What’s next?

Oh my gosh. So much. I’m continuing to do The Broadcast here in Dallas. Dallas has been so supportive and really celebrated me, and I’m really grateful for that. I’m working on a book with a publisher. I’m probably going to do another collaboration with Bauble Bar and just continue blogging. But would I like to get married and have kids and settle down? I’d love for that to be next. I’d like to meet Mr. Right as soon as possible. Trust me, my mom is continuing to remind me that I’m not getting any younger.

Is that in the cards for you anytime soon?

I’m dating and I’m happy. So, we’ll see. Who knows. Maybe the second season will be called Courtney Loves… and they’ll insert some man’s name there.

Keep me up to date on the latest happenings and all that D Magazine has to offer.

Comments

Tim Rogers

My television suggests that this show has been renamed “Courtney Loves Life.” No?

SpencerK

That’s just the title of the first episode..

Tim Rogers

I am dumb. Thank you.

jmckee

It’s an interesting time that we live in that someone would do something so self-obsessed and vain as having a TV show that just documents their life and then claim that they are just misunderstood when people call them vain and self-obsessed.

I do wonder if this is just all part of the act or if she truly does not realize that this type of show exists only to make her a subject of derision. Does she even care either way as long as people are watching her?

jcf

I do not know who this person is to have a show that has nothing to do with the Real Dallas if there really is such a thing. She is not even interesting, and quite vapid, And complaining that at 30 has lost her resilience. Gregg Asher is so much more interesting, and funny. He should have her show, not a side kick on Million Dollar Shopper

no_really

Who’s obsessed with her?

blah blah

That is the title of the SHOW..there will be more and I want to look away but can’t………..OMG is that your character or her? I see why single…..stop being a valley girl at 30…not everyone has such a fab. life

Tiffany

I would just like to know where did Courtney get that beautiful lamp in her room?!?

Chassity Roberson

I hope people do not think this show is the real Dallas.Inner city Dallas teachers (me!)/ native Dallas residents know the real Dallas (I love it). That is all…

Kriskris

It’s funny…I watch Bravo all day long and my question was, “who the hell is Courtney?” After watching the first episode, I decided to check out her blog. That was probably the first and last time I will log on. What I did see was people ARE obsessed. I also noticed that they aren’t 30 years old either. This is a prime example of the fact that a reality show can be made out of anything.

anonymous

Matt Nordgren is a douche bag. His response to this would most likely be the guy is jealous of me. No, I am not, that I can assure you of. I have personally known this guy and am saddened by the fact Courtney has wasted any time on this emotionally challenged human being.